JESSICA LAWS: Feminist movement needed

As far back as I can remember there was a very divisive line between what it meant to be male and female and what activities and behaviours were appropriate for one and yet not for the other. It was as if there was an inside joke when your elders would say, “You can do anything you set your mind to but…” It’s that fine line that makes women begrudge their male counterparts because they often seem so untouchable and lately that has been proven true. A man who openly admitted to sexually assaulting women is President of the United States, Hollywood is under a magnifying glass because of such movements as #MeToo and the very obvious pay inequality. We’ve had to unite and take back the night with such marches as the SlutWalks to condemn those who blame sexual assault victims and Women’s March which fights for more than just ending violence but broadens the scope to include reproductive, LGBTQIA, worker’s, civil, immigrant and disability rights as well as environmental justice. The feminist movement has evolved from the suffragette’s movements of the late-19th and early-20th centuries and into a philosophy that emphasizes men and women should be complementary to each other as opposed to one having superiority. Today being called a feminist can be viewed both positively and negatively, but the simple fact remains that there is still a need for women to stand up and take a stand against the injustices that are still being faced whether that is through the lack of equal pay, sexual assault and harassment in the work place or political reforms on issues such as reproductive rights and maternity leave to name a few. The significance of the feminist movement, regardless of the marches and hashtags, is that women continue to be silenced and men continue to climb in leaps and bounds which is shown so clearly with the case against Brett Kavanaugh, who was sworn to sit on the Supreme Court despite allegations of sexual assault by not one but three different women. His accuser, regardless of her efforts to stay hidden, was not only identified but also then dragged through the mud in a very politicized and public exhibition that ended with Kavanaugh still becoming a Supreme Court judge and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, with more than just an unsettling future. Ford was also left exposed, facing aggression, ridicule and unwanted notoriety that will continue to follow her for a lot longer than necessary. Her case is evidence as to why the feminist movement is still not only necessary but also essential for the growth of equality amongst men and women. It’s because of the fact that Ford’s name continues to come up in negative rhetoric that more women will continue to live in silence and in fear of their assailants because what Ford has endured is not only wrong but it is also downright disgusting. It proves that there is no safe place for women to come forward and that nobody will protect them. The fear of being persecuted, as well as not believed, seems like a death sentence to those that have been living with such pain. If there was ever any doubt as to why women keep silent for so long it is evident in the tribulations that Ford continues to face. But women have managed to endure regardless of the amount of times people have snuffed out their light and silenced our ambitions, but as is the case with Kavanaugh and Ford, regardless of the progress it continues to be a situation of one-step forward two steps back.